Jana Kolukanova
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jana Kolukanova |
| National team |
 Estonia
|
| Born |
4 August 1981 Tallinn, Estonia |
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Freestyle |
| Club | Kalevi Ujumiskool Tallinn |
| College team | Auburn University (U.S.) |
| Coach | Tiit-Urmas Reiter David Marsh (U.S.) |
Jana Kolukanova (born August 4, 1981) is a retired Estonian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She is a two-time Olympian, multiple-times champion of Estonia and one of the top European sprinters of her generation.
Kolukanova made her Olympic debut as a 19-year-old at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where she competed in the women's 50 m freestyle. She reached the semifinals by winning the swim-off against European champion Mette Jacobsen of Denmark and Ana Belén Palomo of Spain. She set a new Estonian record in two consecutive swims, first in the prelims (25.96) and then in the three-person swim-off a few hours later. Followed by an evening session, Kolukanova finished her semifinal run with a time of 26.03, just seven hundredths of a second (0.07) outside her record.
After her performances in Sydney, Kolukanova was heavily recruited by U.S. universities and decided to attend Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama to swim for Auburn Tigers under head coach David Marsh. She studied psychology and graduated as a 19-time All-American, All-SEC selection, SEC Academic Honor Roll member as well as an Academic All-American. She also won 3 NCAA team championships while at Auburn.
Kolukanova qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens by clearing a FINA standard entry time of 56.10 at the European Championships in Madrid, Spain. She competed in the women's 100 m freestyle and challenged seven other swimmers in heat four, including her college teammate Eileen Coparropa of Panama. She finished three tenths of a second (0.30) behind Israel's Anna Gostomelsky in 57.45 and did not advance into the semifinals.
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